There once was a time when you would see kids reading books, playing board games and blasting the music. However, as technology advances these things seem to slowly become a thing of the past. Today you see kids with headphones on, playing handheld videogames and reading books on kindles. As an educator it is our responsibility to keep up with the times and integrate technology in the classroom. With the lack of funding some school districts are struggling with this. In the Lansing School District we have some schools with fully functional computer labs and promethean boards in every room and in other schools there is a serious need for working computers. It is sad to see such a drastic difference throughout the district but with the budget getting worse I imagine this problem will too.
As an educator I utilize every bit of technology I have available. This year I have had my students write and type out their own books. I found it interesting when I read TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM: TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING? by Bonnie Thone Boylan. She wrote:
When students in the younger grades use computers for research, which is often its purpose, much time is wasted sifting through the numerous websites for the one that offers the most relevant information.
My students are currently working on a research project. However, I am aware of the time wasted by students shifting through various sites so I gave them approved websites to gather information. As they get information we have used bubbl.us to create graphic organizers. When they are completely done with their reports they will create a slideshow with a quiz at the end to share with the class using photopeach.com. I also am lucky enough to be in a school with promethean boards. I use my promethean board every day. We often go to educationcity.com to review for the next lesson. During centers I have students use sites like spellingcity.com, multiplicationgames.com and studyisland.com.
I believe it is my job as an educator to teach students about technology. While some people may think that time is wasted through the use of technology I believe any teacher can utilize and save time by using technology in the classroom. This isn’t a topic that should even be discussed anymore. The world is moving toward technology and we as educators need to acknowledge that and prepare the students for the future.
This is our future lets embrace it.
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